Posts Tagged ‘universities’
More on Education in Germany
Sometime back I posted a blog on education in Germany and the DAAD scholarships which can get you there. Today I came across an article in The Hindu that discusses the prospects of education in Germany and what it has to offer to Indian students. I got some new information and decided to share it here. The article gives details about the different categories of Universities to be found in Germany. The range of courses offered is extensive. Germany currently offers 90 Bachelor’s programmes, 450 Master’s programmes, and 190 doctoral programmes. Check out the article here if you are considering courses abroad.
Foreign Universities Coming Over
Our Government willing, we can soon see a number of Universities from various countries setting up their Indian campuses. About 50 universities have expressed their willingness to have campuses here and talks are in progress. This is promising news indeed as it will give education in India a completely new dimension and for all those Indian students who fail to go overseas owing to funding issues, this will enable them to pursue a course of their choice in a reputed foreign university in India itself. Middlesex University is one among the 50 institutions looking to open their India chapter. Head over to The Hindu for an interview of the Vice Chancellor of Middlesex University, Professor Michael Driscoll.
Exploring Erasmus Mundus Scholarships
When it comes to offering a wide range of scholarships for various masters and research courses, there aren’t many resources that can beat Erasmus Mundus. The European Commission offers these scholarships under the education and training services. The scholarships are available for undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral studies for students all over the world. Trainers and teachers have also been covered under the scholarship scheme which gives academicians a great opportunity to sharpen their skills under a prestigious fellowship programme.
The courses covered range from art and agriculture studies to business management and technology. Apart from the well known and desired courses, offbeat courses such as ship design, early childhood care, vision and robotics are offered. With these scholarships, the options available are practically endless and it’s really difficult to find a programme that is not covered. The programmes are offered in prestigious European Universities that boast of intellectually stimulating and multicultural ambiences. Some of the programmes are jointly offered by two or more universities. This gives a student the opportunity to experience diverse campus cultures and brings him/her in close contact with some of the best academic minds.
To see a complete list of scholarships on offer and application procedures, visit this link.
New Universities to Build a Strong Talent Pool
The need for increased enrollment in higher education has never been felt more as India grapples with the lack of quality talent in the professional sphere. In order to introduce more students to advanced learning and to hone their skills, the government plans to set up 735 additional universities all over the country. Deviating from the norm of a University being a space for all kinds of courses, the new universities will feature several exclusive ones that will cater to select programmes only. We can safely assume that most of these select courses will be job-oriented and in line with the current and upcoming industry demands.
While it is good to know that more people are being exposed to higher education and important skills, such a large number of new institutions can also be a cause for concern. It is not enough to set up a centre of learning; we need able people to guide the students effectively. Finding quality faculty for all these institutions will be a tough ask and we know that sub-standard faculty can turn the whole noble scheme upside down. Care should be taken to design the curriculum in a way that will cater to not only current openings but new developments in future as well. Here’s hoping that the government will use discretion and not rush to get the new institutions up and running.
Scholarships for Studying in Germany
Among other European nations like UK and France, Germany has emerged as a promising destination for higher education. The German expertise in engineering and automobiles is well known and what can be better than picking up the skills from Deutschland itself? More and more students are heading to Germany every year for engineering, management, law, science and education courses. To make matters easy for Indian students, The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers a variety of scholarships for students who want to pursue various graduate or research programmes in Germany.
If you are planning on going to Germany, it might be a good idea to learn German so that it’s easier for you to find your way around. There are plenty of English speakers though, and some courses are also offered in English. Universities are also known to conduct crash courses in German for students coming from foreign shores. The advantage of knowing German is that it will be easier for you to get part-time jobs there and fund your study.
For information on study and courses in Germany, visit this link. For the DAAD scholarships, check this out.
Gaining Momentum by Looking At New Courses
While established universities are looking to enhance their appeal and reaching out to the new generation by introducing new courses, new universities are relying on these courses to gain a foothold for themselves. In this time of diversity when the industry is coming up with new profiles to cope with new responsibilities and is constantly re-inventing itself, specialized courses that prepare students for these new posts are gaining ground. Upcoming and newly inaugurated universities know that established universities, owing to bureaucratic problems, will take a while to set up the necessary infrastructure to run these courses, so there is nothing like starting with the courses in demand.
Nithm, an autonomous institute jointly established by the Govt. of AP and the Govt. of India, is offering courses like Diploma in Travel Agency and Tour Operators, Diploma in Facilities Management, Event Management, Food Production and Restaurant and Catering Services and Housekeeping and Tour Guiding programmes. Such courses will definitely see plenty of takers as there aren’t too many institutions in India offer such a wide array of Hospitality and Tourism courses. What is important though, is that capable and knowledgeable people are selected to run these courses. Since the courses are new, getting experienced faculty will be difficult. Let us see how Nithm and other institutes go about it.
Universities Outsourcing The Examination and Evaluation Process
Admission is not possible without completion of all the formalities and formalities include submission of mark sheets and relevant certificates. For several renowned universities and institutions which see students coming from all over India, the formalities lead to major problems. As students come from various colleges and universities and each of them have their respective dates for the declaration of results, the students often fail to provide all the necessary documents resulting in denial of admission or grant of a provisional admission. Without a doubt, things will be much simpler if all institutions declare their results together.
An initiative along those lines is being taken in the state of Karnataka where the Examination Reforms Committee has suggested that a Karnataka State Universities Examination Authority (KSUEA), an autonomous institution to conduct examinations on behalf of all the universities, be set up so that results of all the universities of Karnataka can be declared at one time. This will reduce the burden of the universities as they won’t have to spend time on evaluations and preparation of mark sheets and can use the time to focus on academics. A panel of experienced professors will be roped in for evaluation and the authority may be run in a corporate style with a CEO at the helm. The sole function of this body will be to conduct and evaluate examinations while the degrees will be awarded by the respective universities.
If the proposal is accepted then Karnataka may become the initiator of a major makeover that will change the face of our education system. Hopefully this process will make the evaluation process faster and more efficient. However what I will be looking forward to is a system that will not just serve a state but the entire country so that delays in declaring results, malpractice, complaints about evaluation and re-examinations will be drastically reduced.
Stop by the Finishing School For Job Training on Your Way to the Industry
Conducting finishing schools for students on the threshold of entering the industry is emerging as a welcome initiative. I have come across several reports of colleges and universities arranging finishing schools which are all about putting the icing on the cake. Throughout the years spent on their courses, students have been made to focus primarily on theory and domain knowledge. However, as it is well known, you need a lot more than just domain knowledge to make yourself the right choice for recruiters. Finishing schools attempt to equip students with all the necessary extras to make them employable.
To instill confidence in the students to face recruitment tests and interviews, finishing schools train the participants in all they can expect from the selection process. Effective communication, logical reasoning, numerical and analytical prowess, group discussions and interviews are put under the limelight and plenty of practice sessions enable students to form a reasonably clear idea of the kind of questions that await them in the tests and interviews. Some finishing schools also incorporate workshops where students get trained in some important software which they will have to work with on a daily basis.
Much as I admire this concept, I hope institutions do not leave everything to the finishing schools and keep training students as they pursue their courses. Otherwise the finishing schools might be left with too much to handle and too little time in which to handle everything.
New Courses on the Block
A lot of criticism has been directed at our education system from various directions including this blog for good reason and now is the time to look at some positives. Gradually several new and job-oriented courses are making their presence felt in colleges and universities and looking at the list, we have to applaud the effort. The system has been slow, thereby depriving a lot of promising students, but we can look forward to the future.
Among the new courses, mention should be made of news reading, public administration, packaging, fire safety, banking and investment management. As the industry diversifies and looks for people with specific skills for specific domains, these courses are looking to cater to the demands.In the upcoming posts i will be exploring these courses in greater detail.
Sylla-Bias
Most of our universities and colleges offering technical education seem to realize the importance of English communication skills beside domain knowledge. All the students are required to take a course on English which is designed to focus extensively on communication skills. So where does this course go wrong?
As far as the syllabus is concerned, the emphasis, understandably, is on developing LSRW skills and not on English literature. Students are required to read passages, attempt comprehension questions, develop an understanding for lexical and contextual meanings, listen for general and specific information, practice JAM (Just A Minute) sessions and so on which all sound quite impressive. However, what remains unimpressive is the performance of many students in the interviews.
Several Universities implement the English course only in the first semester. B.Tech is a six semester course. One wonders how much of the English course a student retains at the end of the course unless he/she has kept in touch regularly. One needs to think about there being more courses on English communication or spreading the English course over a considerable part of the entire duration for it to be more effective and helpful for the students.
We also need to understand that the focus of students coming to study engineering will be on the technical courses since they’ll want to be masters of their domain. The English course ends up being looked at as just an extra or even a burden sometimes. I have seen some of my friends studying engineering and for them it’s all about putting up with this trouble rather than taking a serious interest in it. Implementing courses alone won’t serve the purpose. It is up to the lecturer to make the students realize the importance of English communication skills in professional life and devise ways to keep the students interested. In the posts to come, I’ll attempt to look at the lecturers’ approaches to the English courses in engineering colleges.